Create your own inhabitant of Llareggub!

Dylan Thomas created an incredible cast of characters to populate the small, Welsh seaside town of Llareggub, but we think there is room for one or two more! Who would you like to see live alongside Polly Garter, Captain Cat, Organ Morgan and Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard?

Write a description of, or draw a picture of your character. If you’re feeling inspired, you could write a short monologue where they introduce themselves to us.

Here are some pointers to get you started:

• How old are they – are they an adult, a teenager, a child?
• Do they have any distinguishing features, like an eye patch, very bushy eyebrows, a tattoo?
• How do they talk – do they have an accent, do they have particular phrases or sayings?
• What do they like to wear?
• What is their favourite food?
• What are their hobbies?
• Do they have any unusual habits?
• Who do they live with and do they have any pets?
• Do they have a secret?
• What is their most treasured possession?

Here’s how Dylan Thomas introduces three of his characters in Under Milk Wood, and you can get a real sense of their personalities just in a few lines:

‘Me, Dai Bread, hurrying to the bakery, pushing in my shirt-tails, buttoning my waistcoat, ping goes a button, why can’t they sew them, no time for breakfast, nothing for breakfast, there’s wives for you…

‘Me, Mrs Dai Bread One, capped and shawled and no old corset, nice to be comfy, nice to be nice, clogging on the cobbles to stir up a neighbour. Oh Mrs Sarah, can you spare a loaf, love? Dai Bread forgot the bread.’

‘Me, Mrs Dai Bread Two, gypsied to kill in a silky scarlet petticoat above my knees, dirty pretty knees, see my body through my petticoat brown as a berry, high heel shoes with one heel missing, tortoiseshell comb in my bright black slinky hair, nothing else at all on but a dab of scent, lolling gaudy at the doorway, tell your fortune in the tea-leaves, scowling at the sunshine, lighting up my pipe.’

Don’t forget to share your creations with us by emailing them to dylanthomas.lit@swansea.gov.uk or tagging us on social media. We’re @DTCSwansea on Twitter and @DylanThomasCentre on Facebook.

This post is also available in: Welsh